Energy from Our Roots

by Ron Hamilton, Conference Minister

The CCCC will celebrate its 65th anniversary at the 2013 Annual Family Conference to be held in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 22–25. These are exciting days to celebrate the Lord’s work in our fellowship and to envision His work through us in the future. In preparation for this anniversary celebration, I have been reading some of the early issues of the Congregational Christian Beacon. This newsletter laid the foundation for the beginning of our Conference, which was officially formed in 1948.

I was amazed when I read an article titled, “The Curse of Religion,” from the May 1941 issue, written by Rev. V.F. Anderson of Chicago, Illinois. While the words were written in a form that is different from our contemporary expression, there was a theme that reflects the spirit of what the Lord is saying to us in this generation. In the article, Rev. Anderson says,

“Even a slight examination of the Scriptures will clearly show that there is a marked distinction between Christianity and Religion. Religion consists of man’s personal efforts at pleasing and reaching God. It is man trying to do something for God. Christianity is Christ. All roads in the Scriptures lead to Christ. Everything centers and heads up in Him. You can have any religion in the world without its founder; but you cannot have Christianity without Christ.”

As a part of our teaching to those involved in church development and church multiplication, we direct our leaders to John 14:6,

Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

As we study this teaching, we agree that the Truth is a Person, the Way is a Person, and the Life is a Person. That person is Jesus Christ, and in Him we live and move and have our being (see Acts 17:28).  We then agree that the Church is about…
●    Incarnation: Living the Truth — gift of presence.
●    Proclamation: Speaking the Truth with others.
●    Community: Living the Truth with others.
●    Demonstration: Living/Giving the Truth for others.
●    Growing/Fruitfulness: Maturing in the Truth.

The foundation of the CCCC was built on a call to a devotion to Christ and His mission. Rev. Anderson concludes with some words that lead across the generations to our ears,

Dear reader, examine your heart: Do you follow an empty Religion, or have you accepted Christ?